Two men, two styles

WASHINGTON - Ask Al Gore's friends and advisers to describe the vice president, and the words they use most are ''studious,'' ''serious,'' ''organized.'' Then they'll relate examples with a common theme to make their point: Gore citing an obscure scientific theory on how oil is formed. Gore showing up at a dinner party with flip charts to explain global warming. Gore outlining in precise detail every argument and statistic he would use in a debate.

Pose the same question to the circle of associates and aides around George W. Bush and the most frequent responses are ''personable,'' ''funny,'' ''impatient.'' Anecdotes about the Texas governor focus on how he turns on the charm to make a political ally, uses a soft-sell pitch to forge a consensus, waves aside details to get to the bottom line of a policy debate.

Clearly, the two major-party presidential candidates are sharp contrasts in personality that point to very different styles of leadership they would bring to the Oval Office.

In essence, the election boils down to a contest of The Serious Scholar vs. The Personable Persuader.

On the campaign trail, Gore and Bush don't talk much about how they would lead the nation. They prefer arguing about issues such as taxes and education.

Yet voters give greater weight to the two candidates' leadership qualities than to their policy positions. In a recent USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll, 50% of likely voters said leadership skills and vision were most important in choosing a president. Only 38% rated issues as the top factor.

So what kind of leaders would Gore and Bush make?

Based on interviews with more than a dozen past and present associates, the portrait of Gore that emerges is of a late-blooming academic: a disciplined, no-nonsense person with limited social skills who will analyze an issue with extraordinary depth, give it careful thought and then come to a firm decision. He listens to his brain, not his gut.

The vice president has a special affinity for highly technical and complex issues, such as environmental protection, arms control, telecommunications and the Internet. And once he has reached a decision, Gore has not been afraid to stake out unconventional positions that are out of step with conventional wisdom or Democratic Party orthodoxy. As early as 1995, for example, he was among the first voices in the White House urging President Clinton to support a balanced budget.

''He likes lots of information, and he likes it to be right,'' says Lorraine Voles, Gore's former press secretary. ''I always felt if he wasn't in politics he would probably be in academia.''

Bush, by contrast, is an extrovert who shows less interest in the technical details of issues and gets bored if meetings run longer than 30 minutes, associates say. He is more of a big-picture guy who has a passion for a few broad issues, such as education reform.

He is more intuitive when he makes a decision and spends little time contemplating the philosophical arguments behind his policy stands. He is also an innately cautious politician rarely comfortable embracing a high-risk or confrontational position. One of his few bold initiatives in Texas was a radical tax-reform plan. When the state legislature rejected that, Bush used his personal charm to build bipartisan coalitions and pass relatively modest changes.

''He knows he's not a policy wonk, and he doesn't want to be one,'' says Tim Adams, a Washington consultant who advises Bush on high-tech issues. ''But he's fantastic at schmoozing.''

As campaigners, which is how most voters are getting to know the two candidates, Gore and Bush have not always performed to type.

During White House policy debates, aides say, Gore the vice president has stuck to core principles, such as tough environmental protection standards. But as a candidate, they add, he has been more political in his calculations. For example, he has downplayed his environmental views and shied away from proposing bold ideas that might be controversial. And just last week, with an eye on Florida's electoral votes, Gore broke with President Clinton by endorsing permanent resident status for Elian Gonzalez and his father so they could live in the United States.

Bush the candidate has surprised some of his friends as well by acting more confrontational and daring than he does when he's performing his role as governor. They cite his harsh attacks on rival John McCain, a close alliance with religious conservatives whom he previously had kept at a distance and his dogged support for a large tax cut that is not playing well in the polls.
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Contributing to this report: Guillermo X. Garcia, Judy Keen, Jill Lawrence and Laurence McQuillan.